Candert Trip Report: Prague, Dresden and Berlin
Sep 27th, 2005, 09:37 AM
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Candert Trip Report: Prague, Dresden and Berlin
I returned last night from my 6th European trip (all in the last 3 years!). The last five have all planned thanks to this nice little website. I didn't posted many queries for information on this trip, but relied heavily on others previous posts. Specifically, Elaine for Prague, Ingo for Dresden, and Palenque for Berlin. Thank You.
September 14
We left Minneapolis Wednesday evening on NWA. My first time flying with them since the mechanic strike started. We made our connections safely, but were delayed the whole way with mechanical issues. You could tell the flight attendants and gate staff were tired from all NWA turmoil. Thankfully us and our luggage arrived safely together.
September 15
We (myself, wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law) arrived in Prague Thursday afternoon. It took us a while to clear customs. A plane from Pakistan arrived just before us, and everyone required visas be issued. We spent almost an hour in line. Finally free to go abour our way we gathered our bags, got some Czech coin and piled into a cab for the ride into town.
My DML picked our hotel for Prague, Seven Angels. The hotel is a residence in Stare Maestro (Old town). We were located a few blocks from the Old town square and Chalres Bridge. Our room came with a kitchenette, sitting room and bedroom for 4000 CZK a night. We were very pleased with the place. There is an enclosed courtyard that our room faced. The restaurant connected to the hotel had its kitchen off this courtyard below us. Thanks to them we spent our time in Prague bathed in scent of freshly roasted duck. A plus for some...
We had four full days to discover Praha so we kept the first evening explorations to the minimum; Old Town square and the Charles bridge. I'd rate the Old Town square in Prague as one of the best in Europe. Its so scenic and picturesque. You have two huge old baroque churches on each end, a massive statue tribute to Jan Hus in the middle, and the beautiful colorful buildings of Prague surrounding. We stoped for a quick pivo to toast our arrival. All seemed right in the world!
September 14
We left Minneapolis Wednesday evening on NWA. My first time flying with them since the mechanic strike started. We made our connections safely, but were delayed the whole way with mechanical issues. You could tell the flight attendants and gate staff were tired from all NWA turmoil. Thankfully us and our luggage arrived safely together.
September 15
We (myself, wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law) arrived in Prague Thursday afternoon. It took us a while to clear customs. A plane from Pakistan arrived just before us, and everyone required visas be issued. We spent almost an hour in line. Finally free to go abour our way we gathered our bags, got some Czech coin and piled into a cab for the ride into town.
My DML picked our hotel for Prague, Seven Angels. The hotel is a residence in Stare Maestro (Old town). We were located a few blocks from the Old town square and Chalres Bridge. Our room came with a kitchenette, sitting room and bedroom for 4000 CZK a night. We were very pleased with the place. There is an enclosed courtyard that our room faced. The restaurant connected to the hotel had its kitchen off this courtyard below us. Thanks to them we spent our time in Prague bathed in scent of freshly roasted duck. A plus for some...
We had four full days to discover Praha so we kept the first evening explorations to the minimum; Old Town square and the Charles bridge. I'd rate the Old Town square in Prague as one of the best in Europe. Its so scenic and picturesque. You have two huge old baroque churches on each end, a massive statue tribute to Jan Hus in the middle, and the beautiful colorful buildings of Prague surrounding. We stoped for a quick pivo to toast our arrival. All seemed right in the world!
Sep 27th, 2005, 12:22 PM
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Our first night in the Czech Republic we opted to eat Icelandic food at the restaurant Reykjavik. I can't remember how/why it was choosen.
Side bar... Picking a restaurant for lunch and dinner on our trip would become an interesting exercise. DML on previous trips had most meals planned out before arriving in a town. All was settled. We just went there. This time DML didn't want to be too in charge so things were done on the fly (relatively speaking). Our "eating line-up" - I'm pretty open on picking food, but am an aspiring foodie and love to eat on vacations. DW likes others to enjoy their meals, but is very picky at what she eats (prefers healthy). DML is a foodie. DFL loves a good meal, hates wandering around searching, and when all else fails sides with Chinese food.
So... Somehow its decided the first meal would be fish. The dinner started out very well. Three orders of their herring plate for apps followed by a fish soup that was to die for. It was a creamy broth, almost a beer cheese soup flavor, with lrage chunks of fish/shellfish. The meal was a consensus four out of five for food. Then it fell apart. DML and I ordered Fruit di Mare roasted in croc with cheese. It looked like a definite home run on the menu. Tasted very fishy and ruined the rating scale.
Ratings - We started a couple years ago rating all of our meals (DML and DFL longer) so we could compare eating experiences trip from trip. There are three categories; Food, Ambience and Service. Each rated on a five point scale. Perfect meal - 15 points (haven't had one yet).
Reykjavik scored 7.25 (average of four). Not one of three categories carried over the others. A pretty average meal.
Tomorrow - Nove Maestro and dinner a Hotel 7 Angels (our highest rated meal of the trip).
Side bar... Picking a restaurant for lunch and dinner on our trip would become an interesting exercise. DML on previous trips had most meals planned out before arriving in a town. All was settled. We just went there. This time DML didn't want to be too in charge so things were done on the fly (relatively speaking). Our "eating line-up" - I'm pretty open on picking food, but am an aspiring foodie and love to eat on vacations. DW likes others to enjoy their meals, but is very picky at what she eats (prefers healthy). DML is a foodie. DFL loves a good meal, hates wandering around searching, and when all else fails sides with Chinese food.
So... Somehow its decided the first meal would be fish. The dinner started out very well. Three orders of their herring plate for apps followed by a fish soup that was to die for. It was a creamy broth, almost a beer cheese soup flavor, with lrage chunks of fish/shellfish. The meal was a consensus four out of five for food. Then it fell apart. DML and I ordered Fruit di Mare roasted in croc with cheese. It looked like a definite home run on the menu. Tasted very fishy and ruined the rating scale.
Ratings - We started a couple years ago rating all of our meals (DML and DFL longer) so we could compare eating experiences trip from trip. There are three categories; Food, Ambience and Service. Each rated on a five point scale. Perfect meal - 15 points (haven't had one yet).
Reykjavik scored 7.25 (average of four). Not one of three categories carried over the others. A pretty average meal.
Tomorrow - Nove Maestro and dinner a Hotel 7 Angels (our highest rated meal of the trip).
Sep 27th, 2005, 04:37 PM
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I'm really enjoying your report and getting great info for our upcoming trip in May 2005.
7 Angels looks great. I'm bookmarking it to look at it again when our city itinerary is set. We will have 25 days on the ground in Europe and are in the beginning stages of deciding where we want to go. I'm going to post a request for suggestions on firming up our list of destinations, so I won't go into it here, except to say that I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say about Berlin and Dresden.
Thanks again for the helpful, well-written post. Looking forward to reading more soon!
7 Angels looks great. I'm bookmarking it to look at it again when our city itinerary is set. We will have 25 days on the ground in Europe and are in the beginning stages of deciding where we want to go. I'm going to post a request for suggestions on firming up our list of destinations, so I won't go into it here, except to say that I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say about Berlin and Dresden.
Thanks again for the helpful, well-written post. Looking forward to reading more soon!
Sep 27th, 2005, 04:48 PM
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Enjoying your report as we are beginning to plan our trip to Prague for this June. Interested in any more details on the 7 Angels as we are a family of 4 and I like the idea of the large rooms. Can four peple sleep in a suite or would we need one of the apartments. The website says all rooms come with king beds (I assume they mean two twins pushed together?)
The tripadvisor reports say the staff was helpful, is there a front desk that is always staffed to help make reservations, etc?
Looking forward to your restaurant reviews, as eating good meals is important to us, as well as your comments on the sites you saw.
The tripadvisor reports say the staff was helpful, is there a front desk that is always staffed to help make reservations, etc?
Looking forward to your restaurant reviews, as eating good meals is important to us, as well as your comments on the sites you saw.
Sep 28th, 2005, 03:51 AM
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Marry/jgg - Thanks for the replies.
Our room was a Jr Suite. The bed was actually just one bed, but with two blankets (we decided this was nice setup). The couch pulled out, but probably could've only slept one. DML/DFL had the Suite. A larger room(s) but the same sleeping set up. The front desk is not always staffed. As its a residence once the restaurant is closed everyone locks up for the evening, and they don't return until just before 9am the next day. It wasn't an issue with us at all.
September 16
Our first full day in Prage was cloudy and a little cool. Not a good day for capturing the colorful Prague cityscape on film, but hey we were still in Europe. The plan was decided to wander Nove Mestro and save Old Town for sun, but we still headed straight for the square. Its very pleasant in the morning before the throngs of people arrive.
The morning had two highlights; Wenceslas Square and City Hall. Wenceslas Square is where a half million people gathered to protest the communist regime in 1989. Today its a mix of old a new. There is a great middle promenade between the two streets full of gardens and sculptures. We stopped into Hotel Europa. Fodors says the place is an art nouveau gem and they weren't wrong. Amazing woodwork and stained glass. We took it in with a pivo because you couldn't film in there and we wanted to make sure we remembered the place.
Our other little find was city hall. Its located off the end of Charles Square. Its a park that looks a little unkept, but still was charming. I don't think you'll find city hall on any must do lists, but we enjoyed it. There were two different weddings going on at the same time in large old rooms that are part of the bell tower. I'm sure it helped create a festive feel for our enjoyment. DW and I paid to go to the top and get a look around. The views were great, but with a grey sky the pictures we took begged to differ.
Our lunch stop was at Restaurace U Zepvacku. The place was chosen becuase DW needed a powder room stop. We were definitely the only tourists in the place. Expectations were rightfully low, but it was a fun meal. DML and I ordered the "Old Czech Bastion." It came with ham, pork, duck, 3 types of dumplings, and a sauerkraut/onion mixture. The dumplings didn't do it for me but the rest was fine. We rated lunch a 6.4. Not bad when you consider four of us ate for $50 and that included a bottle of wine and pivos.
The rest of the afternoon we wandered our way towards the river. I tried to walk off the dumplings, but they got the best of me and a nap was called for.
The four of us reconvened for some wine on our courtyard. Our little area would become a frequent meeting point before heading out in the evening. DW and DML made reservations for us to eat at the 7 Angels. They had studiously been reviewing the menu and were starting to get real excited for dinner. It also helps when your sitting 20 feet above the kitchen window. Its like living next store to a bakery.
We walked out to the street and into our restaurant. The lobby was packed as it was Friday night. There was a large group of Americans trying to negotiate their way in. A few were a little rude and endorsed the "bad american" stereotype. We took pleasure in sort of "pushing" our way through to our reserved table. Ha ha.
The 7 Angles interior is old bohemian at its best. Its been there sense the 14th century. Vaulted arched ceiliings painted all the way to the floor with large murals. To top it off there was a three man gypsy band. You could sense a high ambience rating coming!
Our waiter offered us a complimentry apertif. My friends took the safe route with Veuve Cliquot and strawberries. I dove in deep head first and chose Becherovka. A Czech original. The only way to decribe it is that its a very strong version of Goldschlager.
For dinner I had the Bohemian Plate. Almost a carbon copy of lunch; duck, ham, port, red cabbage, white cabbage and potato pancakes. So good (and so much better than lunch). DW had duck with red cabbage (I can't believe she ate duck!). DML had mutton chops with spinach. And DFL went with the goose. No question... The meal was a feast!
Our gypsy band played for a long time. We stretched our meal out to almost three hours and they played the whole way. Their play list would jump from Brahams to "Que Sera" to Tom Jones. Quite entertaining. The meal rating was an 11. A lot of fours across the board. In my book anything over 10 is a winner.
Next - Castle Hill
Our room was a Jr Suite. The bed was actually just one bed, but with two blankets (we decided this was nice setup). The couch pulled out, but probably could've only slept one. DML/DFL had the Suite. A larger room(s) but the same sleeping set up. The front desk is not always staffed. As its a residence once the restaurant is closed everyone locks up for the evening, and they don't return until just before 9am the next day. It wasn't an issue with us at all.
September 16
Our first full day in Prage was cloudy and a little cool. Not a good day for capturing the colorful Prague cityscape on film, but hey we were still in Europe. The plan was decided to wander Nove Mestro and save Old Town for sun, but we still headed straight for the square. Its very pleasant in the morning before the throngs of people arrive.
The morning had two highlights; Wenceslas Square and City Hall. Wenceslas Square is where a half million people gathered to protest the communist regime in 1989. Today its a mix of old a new. There is a great middle promenade between the two streets full of gardens and sculptures. We stopped into Hotel Europa. Fodors says the place is an art nouveau gem and they weren't wrong. Amazing woodwork and stained glass. We took it in with a pivo because you couldn't film in there and we wanted to make sure we remembered the place.
Our other little find was city hall. Its located off the end of Charles Square. Its a park that looks a little unkept, but still was charming. I don't think you'll find city hall on any must do lists, but we enjoyed it. There were two different weddings going on at the same time in large old rooms that are part of the bell tower. I'm sure it helped create a festive feel for our enjoyment. DW and I paid to go to the top and get a look around. The views were great, but with a grey sky the pictures we took begged to differ.
Our lunch stop was at Restaurace U Zepvacku. The place was chosen becuase DW needed a powder room stop. We were definitely the only tourists in the place. Expectations were rightfully low, but it was a fun meal. DML and I ordered the "Old Czech Bastion." It came with ham, pork, duck, 3 types of dumplings, and a sauerkraut/onion mixture. The dumplings didn't do it for me but the rest was fine. We rated lunch a 6.4. Not bad when you consider four of us ate for $50 and that included a bottle of wine and pivos.
The rest of the afternoon we wandered our way towards the river. I tried to walk off the dumplings, but they got the best of me and a nap was called for.
The four of us reconvened for some wine on our courtyard. Our little area would become a frequent meeting point before heading out in the evening. DW and DML made reservations for us to eat at the 7 Angels. They had studiously been reviewing the menu and were starting to get real excited for dinner. It also helps when your sitting 20 feet above the kitchen window. Its like living next store to a bakery.
We walked out to the street and into our restaurant. The lobby was packed as it was Friday night. There was a large group of Americans trying to negotiate their way in. A few were a little rude and endorsed the "bad american" stereotype. We took pleasure in sort of "pushing" our way through to our reserved table. Ha ha.
The 7 Angles interior is old bohemian at its best. Its been there sense the 14th century. Vaulted arched ceiliings painted all the way to the floor with large murals. To top it off there was a three man gypsy band. You could sense a high ambience rating coming!
Our waiter offered us a complimentry apertif. My friends took the safe route with Veuve Cliquot and strawberries. I dove in deep head first and chose Becherovka. A Czech original. The only way to decribe it is that its a very strong version of Goldschlager.
For dinner I had the Bohemian Plate. Almost a carbon copy of lunch; duck, ham, port, red cabbage, white cabbage and potato pancakes. So good (and so much better than lunch). DW had duck with red cabbage (I can't believe she ate duck!). DML had mutton chops with spinach. And DFL went with the goose. No question... The meal was a feast!
Our gypsy band played for a long time. We stretched our meal out to almost three hours and they played the whole way. Their play list would jump from Brahams to "Que Sera" to Tom Jones. Quite entertaining. The meal rating was an 11. A lot of fours across the board. In my book anything over 10 is a winner.
Next - Castle Hill
Sep 28th, 2005, 02:28 PM
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September 17
The weather Saturday didn't improve. It wasn't horrible, but the cool air and clouds remained, and there were showers around. Even so it was time to head towards Castle Hill. We went via the Charles Bridge. It was my first time to cross the bridge. The area usually attracts all sorts of people, but wasn't too bad yet early in the morning. We worked our way from statue to statue reading guide notes and taking photos.
After the bridge we toured St Nicholas Cathedral. Its a very baroque church. Gold statues are everywhere. They charged to enter, but this church was worth the price. Quite striking.
Up to Castle Hill. DML is not as swift as DW and I. It took a little while to reach the grounds, but not too bad. I enjoyed the climb, but there are buses etc. available if you'd like. Its a huge complex of buildings that make up the castle area. All stand in the shadow of St Vitus Cathedral. It must be one of the landmarks in Prague.
We jostled with other tourists to enter tha gate. Apparently none of us looked at our watches to realize that is was Saturday, and that this place would be a zoo. Oh well we were there and going to make the best of it.
The weather Saturday didn't improve. It wasn't horrible, but the cool air and clouds remained, and there were showers around. Even so it was time to head towards Castle Hill. We went via the Charles Bridge. It was my first time to cross the bridge. The area usually attracts all sorts of people, but wasn't too bad yet early in the morning. We worked our way from statue to statue reading guide notes and taking photos.
After the bridge we toured St Nicholas Cathedral. Its a very baroque church. Gold statues are everywhere. They charged to enter, but this church was worth the price. Quite striking.
Up to Castle Hill. DML is not as swift as DW and I. It took a little while to reach the grounds, but not too bad. I enjoyed the climb, but there are buses etc. available if you'd like. Its a huge complex of buildings that make up the castle area. All stand in the shadow of St Vitus Cathedral. It must be one of the landmarks in Prague.
We jostled with other tourists to enter tha gate. Apparently none of us looked at our watches to realize that is was Saturday, and that this place would be a zoo. Oh well we were there and going to make the best of it.
Sep 28th, 2005, 03:19 PM
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I find it fun to read candert's report because I was in Prague those same days. Friday I decided to visit the Jewish Museum (closed Saturday and I was leaving Sunday). When I came out of one of the synagogues, it was POURING rain, in buckets! I'm a photographer so had hoped to get some good Prague shots, obviously, so I'm glad we had good weather on Thursday. Sunday looked like it would be beautiful, but I was leaving for Vienna...
Andrew
Andrew
Sep 29th, 2005, 05:01 AM
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Thanks for the replies. We really enjoyed Prague, and not to blow the suspense or rub it in on Andrew, but Saturday was our last cloudy day. From Sunday to the following Sunday all of our days were clear wtih temps around 70. Great for touring and pictures!
Back to the castle...
The main gate is to your right at the top of the hill. There it is still watched by two palace guards each standing at their own guard house. They are the unwilling (or willing) subject in hundreds of photos as they stand at attention. The time to show up is just before noon for the changing of the guard. I'm sure its changed more then once a day but at noon they rope it off for a big show. We missed it today, but catch the act on Monday.
The first palace courtyard is inside the gate. The second is past the first ring of buildings. It's not too thrilling. The third courtyard opens you up to St Vitus Cathedral. We immediately lined up to enter, but were overwhelmed by tour groups. The line was turing to chaos. Men and women carrying their umbrellas high in the air (tour group leaders) were leading their sheep in mass. DFL recognized the disorder and suggested we move on.
The Cathedral is so looming that you should take the time to circle it and see the gothic towers, the gargoyles and the tile collage on the south side.
There is a distinctive Prague tower. I wasn't architecture major in college, but this gothic style is all over Praque. My guess is that it all stems from St Vitus. The Church of Tyn in Old Town square is the same. There is a fountain just south of the Charles Bridge that looks just like a St Vitus tower. Anyways, I'm off topic. Someone a little smarter (or from Prage) might have more insight than I.
The Cathedral was filmed from all angles by myself, DW and DFL. We continued to circle the courtayrd. It was recommended by DML and DFL that we skip the palace tour. We headed towards St George's Basilica. More people. DFL would have nothing of it. So we finished our circle of St Vitus and see the line for the Cathedral is empty! We dashed (well walked) for the entrance carefully watching out for umbrella carrying sheep herders.
The Palace complex has all sorts of entrance levels and packages for its different buildings. I beleive you could enter the Cathedral free of charge, but you'd only get in half of the church. We bought the passes that get you around the alter. Well worth the price. The dark gothic walls bathed in the light of all the stained glass is a sight to see.
Finally feeling a sense of accomplishment we decided it was time for lunch. DML wanted to get to the monastery galleries, but we convinced her we'd come back to them on Monday.
Back to the castle...
The main gate is to your right at the top of the hill. There it is still watched by two palace guards each standing at their own guard house. They are the unwilling (or willing) subject in hundreds of photos as they stand at attention. The time to show up is just before noon for the changing of the guard. I'm sure its changed more then once a day but at noon they rope it off for a big show. We missed it today, but catch the act on Monday.
The first palace courtyard is inside the gate. The second is past the first ring of buildings. It's not too thrilling. The third courtyard opens you up to St Vitus Cathedral. We immediately lined up to enter, but were overwhelmed by tour groups. The line was turing to chaos. Men and women carrying their umbrellas high in the air (tour group leaders) were leading their sheep in mass. DFL recognized the disorder and suggested we move on.
The Cathedral is so looming that you should take the time to circle it and see the gothic towers, the gargoyles and the tile collage on the south side.
There is a distinctive Prague tower. I wasn't architecture major in college, but this gothic style is all over Praque. My guess is that it all stems from St Vitus. The Church of Tyn in Old Town square is the same. There is a fountain just south of the Charles Bridge that looks just like a St Vitus tower. Anyways, I'm off topic. Someone a little smarter (or from Prage) might have more insight than I.
The Cathedral was filmed from all angles by myself, DW and DFL. We continued to circle the courtayrd. It was recommended by DML and DFL that we skip the palace tour. We headed towards St George's Basilica. More people. DFL would have nothing of it. So we finished our circle of St Vitus and see the line for the Cathedral is empty! We dashed (well walked) for the entrance carefully watching out for umbrella carrying sheep herders.
The Palace complex has all sorts of entrance levels and packages for its different buildings. I beleive you could enter the Cathedral free of charge, but you'd only get in half of the church. We bought the passes that get you around the alter. Well worth the price. The dark gothic walls bathed in the light of all the stained glass is a sight to see.
Finally feeling a sense of accomplishment we decided it was time for lunch. DML wanted to get to the monastery galleries, but we convinced her we'd come back to them on Monday.
Sep 29th, 2005, 07:53 AM
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My DW picked out the restaurant Bazaar for lunch. It has an elevated terrace located below the top of castle hill. The views are just as good. You can't get there from top, and need to enter from Nerudova. The setting could have made an ideal lunch, but with cool breezy air we braved the terrace under a heat lamp.
They served warm grilled bread with garlic and seasalt once you sat down. Its cooked outside in a stacked grill. Perfect for the cool temps. The weather had me thinking warm food. I and DW ordered Bouillabaise. It was a rich tomato/oil stock with fresh seafood. Then for a main course I had pesto risotto with grilled chicken. Quality comfort food! DML had a rack of lamb with an onion butter sauce, and DFL had porcini risotto with truffle foam. The food was a hit. If the dau had been any nicer this restaurant good have been number one. It came in with a 10.9, just shy of 7 Angels.
After lunch we wandered our way back down hill towards Old Town. We let our feet and eyes be our guide. Rain started to fall and we worked our way back to the hotel to nap and regroup.
They served warm grilled bread with garlic and seasalt once you sat down. Its cooked outside in a stacked grill. Perfect for the cool temps. The weather had me thinking warm food. I and DW ordered Bouillabaise. It was a rich tomato/oil stock with fresh seafood. Then for a main course I had pesto risotto with grilled chicken. Quality comfort food! DML had a rack of lamb with an onion butter sauce, and DFL had porcini risotto with truffle foam. The food was a hit. If the dau had been any nicer this restaurant good have been number one. It came in with a 10.9, just shy of 7 Angels.
After lunch we wandered our way back down hill towards Old Town. We let our feet and eyes be our guide. Rain started to fall and we worked our way back to the hotel to nap and regroup.
Sep 29th, 2005, 11:00 AM
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Before going to dinner we went to a wine bar just down the the street from 7 Angels that DW discovered. I didn't write down the name, but we all enjoyed the place. There is a store attached to it so you could purchase some of the wine you just tasted. The list of wines was long and enjoyable, but the best find was the discovery of a new cheese, tete de moine. Its a swiss cheese that is sliced with a special corskscrew slicer that gives you ribbons of this cheese. Wow! It was really good.
Dinner was at relatively new establishement Le Terroir. DML and DW picked the place out. The plan was to eat outside, but with the poor weather we switched the reservation.
The meal started out with a lot of promise. They lead you downstairs into this caveran that just oozed atmopshere. The restuarant pushes their menu. It had two versions and you were welcome to mix and match. DML and I both jumped on this option. Everything was served in what could best be described as a large tasting portion. My menu was liver pate, roasted scallop on potato mash, veal, deer steak and then a cheese plate. The food was very good. We had two criticisms; one minor and one major. First, everyone eating there spoke English. I guess we all like to eat "local". Second, the service took a horrible nose dive. It started out fine, but as the place filled they couldn't keep up. The meal lasted over three hours. DW had fallen asleep before dessert was served. DFL and I joked that maybe if DW's head hit the table we might get some help. We rated the place a 7.9. All four of our service ratings were a 1.
September 18
The sun is out! Still cool, but beggers can't be choosers. With the upgrade in weather conditions we made a vee-line for the Old Town Square. Finally we could see the pastel buildings against a deep blue sky. (The pictures turned out great, but waiting to see DFL's. He is the real photog. They are in Poland and we're back at work).
We tried to get into the Church of Tyn. It's just off the square behind the French Embassy, but of course no one looked at their watch again. It's Sunday and mass was in session. We headed west to the Municiple Building and the Powder Tower. DW and I hit the top for some great views. Then we all snooped around what we could see of the Municiple Building. Most was closed becuase its Sunday, but we saw quite a bit. Great art deco. DML says its her favorite building in Prague. She always leans towards modern.
Next back towards Charles Bridge to film everything we've seen before but now with blue sky behind. DFL insisted. We ventured our way into Mala Strana and started looking for lunch spots. DFL was still feeling burned from last night so he got the call. Chinese it was.
DW on a morning jog scouted out Tiantan Chinese. Nothing to earth shattering. It's chinese food, but we all enjoyed the change of pace, and the food was good. The place scored a 7.6 just a fraction behind last nights rating, but well more than a fraction cheaper. Our ROI was improving...
After lunch we toured more of Mala Strana eventually working our way to Kampa Island.
DML wanted to get over to the National Art Museum to see a Clint exhibit. We all kind of grudgingly agreed to go with. The place is north of Old Town across the river. Out of the sort of tourist area. Its a stark building that didn't lead to much enthusiasm. It looked like the place was Soviet remnant and hadn't been upgraded since. Well the looks were deceiving. The National Art Museum turned out to be a real find. There was a huge collection of art with no barriers or velvet ropes. You could get up close to some great paintings; Picasso, Monet, Degas, Van Gogh and many others. DML was awarded the find of Prague.
Dinner was at relatively new establishement Le Terroir. DML and DW picked the place out. The plan was to eat outside, but with the poor weather we switched the reservation.
The meal started out with a lot of promise. They lead you downstairs into this caveran that just oozed atmopshere. The restuarant pushes their menu. It had two versions and you were welcome to mix and match. DML and I both jumped on this option. Everything was served in what could best be described as a large tasting portion. My menu was liver pate, roasted scallop on potato mash, veal, deer steak and then a cheese plate. The food was very good. We had two criticisms; one minor and one major. First, everyone eating there spoke English. I guess we all like to eat "local". Second, the service took a horrible nose dive. It started out fine, but as the place filled they couldn't keep up. The meal lasted over three hours. DW had fallen asleep before dessert was served. DFL and I joked that maybe if DW's head hit the table we might get some help. We rated the place a 7.9. All four of our service ratings were a 1.
September 18
The sun is out! Still cool, but beggers can't be choosers. With the upgrade in weather conditions we made a vee-line for the Old Town Square. Finally we could see the pastel buildings against a deep blue sky. (The pictures turned out great, but waiting to see DFL's. He is the real photog. They are in Poland and we're back at work).
We tried to get into the Church of Tyn. It's just off the square behind the French Embassy, but of course no one looked at their watch again. It's Sunday and mass was in session. We headed west to the Municiple Building and the Powder Tower. DW and I hit the top for some great views. Then we all snooped around what we could see of the Municiple Building. Most was closed becuase its Sunday, but we saw quite a bit. Great art deco. DML says its her favorite building in Prague. She always leans towards modern.
Next back towards Charles Bridge to film everything we've seen before but now with blue sky behind. DFL insisted. We ventured our way into Mala Strana and started looking for lunch spots. DFL was still feeling burned from last night so he got the call. Chinese it was.
DW on a morning jog scouted out Tiantan Chinese. Nothing to earth shattering. It's chinese food, but we all enjoyed the change of pace, and the food was good. The place scored a 7.6 just a fraction behind last nights rating, but well more than a fraction cheaper. Our ROI was improving...
After lunch we toured more of Mala Strana eventually working our way to Kampa Island.
DML wanted to get over to the National Art Museum to see a Clint exhibit. We all kind of grudgingly agreed to go with. The place is north of Old Town across the river. Out of the sort of tourist area. Its a stark building that didn't lead to much enthusiasm. It looked like the place was Soviet remnant and hadn't been upgraded since. Well the looks were deceiving. The National Art Museum turned out to be a real find. There was a huge collection of art with no barriers or velvet ropes. You could get up close to some great paintings; Picasso, Monet, Degas, Van Gogh and many others. DML was awarded the find of Prague.
Sep 29th, 2005, 12:08 PM
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Big thanks for posting this detailed trip report. Enjoyed it very much ... keep it coming!
Especially liked your restaurant recommendations since I use to be in Prague a couple of times every year (have friends there). Will check out the restaurants you mentioned.
And I love the Tete de Moine cheese ... did not know they have it in Prague.
Looking forward to read about your experiences in Dresden.
Ingo
Especially liked your restaurant recommendations since I use to be in Prague a couple of times every year (have friends there). Will check out the restaurants you mentioned.
And I love the Tete de Moine cheese ... did not know they have it in Prague.
Looking forward to read about your experiences in Dresden.
Ingo
Sep 30th, 2005, 06:21 AM
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Thanks Ingo - We all enjoyed your town. Dresden will be some city when all of the constuction is complete.
After the museum tour we decided to walk back towards Old Town via the Jewish Ghetto since we had not been there yet, and the afternoon was so pleasant. DW quickly went on dinnner reconnisence. This was unexplored territory! Her choice was King Solomon. The oldest kosher restaurant in Prague. The place looked friendly enough so we made the reservation.
DW directed the waiter to brings us back to their winter garden. A glass enclosure with vines growing everywhere. We sat next to table of people fresh out of NY. I'm not trying to be offensive, but picture the most stereotypic NY Jew, slash Woody Allen movie scene, or a Mike Myers Satrday Night Live sketch. That is the environment were in, and we all loved it. We tried not to listen in, but it was impossible. The volume, the stories... It was too much fun. Those four made our dinner.
We all started out with chicken matzo-ball soup. Very good. DML/DFL followed up with trout, DW had tuna, and I had venison with cranberry sauce. The meal presentation was sharp. A good selection of colors. The food was good, but over cooked for our tastes. We guessed that was a kosher requirement, but not really sure. We rated King Solomon a 9 with ambience leading the way.
September 19
Today is our last full day in Prague. Clear skies prevail again. We are startig a trend! We opted to skip the hotel breakfast and go to Bohemia Bagel. 7 Angles doesn't start breakfast until 9am. The day was too nice to wait that long. Bohemia Bagel is located a couple blocks off of the square. Its also an internet cafe. We enjoyed the place, but its sort of fast food and ineligible for a restaurant rating.
After the museum tour we decided to walk back towards Old Town via the Jewish Ghetto since we had not been there yet, and the afternoon was so pleasant. DW quickly went on dinnner reconnisence. This was unexplored territory! Her choice was King Solomon. The oldest kosher restaurant in Prague. The place looked friendly enough so we made the reservation.
DW directed the waiter to brings us back to their winter garden. A glass enclosure with vines growing everywhere. We sat next to table of people fresh out of NY. I'm not trying to be offensive, but picture the most stereotypic NY Jew, slash Woody Allen movie scene, or a Mike Myers Satrday Night Live sketch. That is the environment were in, and we all loved it. We tried not to listen in, but it was impossible. The volume, the stories... It was too much fun. Those four made our dinner.
We all started out with chicken matzo-ball soup. Very good. DML/DFL followed up with trout, DW had tuna, and I had venison with cranberry sauce. The meal presentation was sharp. A good selection of colors. The food was good, but over cooked for our tastes. We guessed that was a kosher requirement, but not really sure. We rated King Solomon a 9 with ambience leading the way.
September 19
Today is our last full day in Prague. Clear skies prevail again. We are startig a trend! We opted to skip the hotel breakfast and go to Bohemia Bagel. 7 Angles doesn't start breakfast until 9am. The day was too nice to wait that long. Bohemia Bagel is located a couple blocks off of the square. Its also an internet cafe. We enjoyed the place, but its sort of fast food and ineligible for a restaurant rating.
Sep 30th, 2005, 12:16 PM
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Today we were going back up to Castle Hill. Instead of going up the mainstreet the plan was to enter the gorunds via the castle gardens. On the way we came across another "find" the Parlimentry gardens. They are behind a huge wall and if it wasn't for the open door we'd never been the wiser. I can't recall the name of the street they're off, but if someone wants to know I'll consult my book. The garden is a huge "L" shape with ponds on one end and very beautiful bandshell/stage on the other. There is also a large wall that looks to be all stalactites and thats the best I can describe it. My geology is just as good as my architecture knowledge. The garden floor is all emaculate hedges where you'll see the ocassional peacock walking about. If you were part of the Czech Parliment you'd have no trouble relaxing and pondering the issues of the day here.
Next we entered the castle gardens. The entrance is off Nerudova, and its at best discretely marked. The gardens are on numerous tiers. DW and I quickly took to multiple levels for photo-ops while others took their time. The price was fairly minimal to enter and its a much more scenic and serene way to enter Castle Hill.
We reached the main enterance to the palace gate at percisely noon. The crowds were thick, but we were still able to enjoy the changing of the guards. It takes about 10 or 15 minutes, and its worth it to see the procession and hear the music.
Our lunch stop was U Labuti on Castle Hill. It's maybe a 100 yds away from the Palace gate, but its night and day when it comes to the level of people. This helped to make for an enjoyable lunch. All of our eating was starting to catch up with me. I'm not used to this pace so I backed down to a bowl of onion soup and a greek salad with a couple pivos. Others kept right on trucking... DML went with the new favorite the Bohemian Plate and DFL ordered smoked trout, a greek salad and the Castle Plate. I think one form of the Beohemina plate has been ordered by me or DFL a half dozen times by now. We should've been rating and comparing them! Lunch was just lunch... We rated the place and acceptable 6.5.
My DW had been talking about Nove Svet since we arrived in Prague. Its the #2 sight in the Fodor's CityPack and it just so happened this street was real close to where we were. They talked it about being a neighborhood where artist types lived, and what a fun little area it was. Well I'm not sure what the editor of my guide saw on Nove Svet, but there was nothing really there. The only thing worthwhile was running across another family that looked just as confused as to why they were on this street. Eye of the beholder...
DML desire to see the monestary galleries fell to the waysude because they're closed on Mondays (darn watch thing again). So for the remainder of the afternoon we wandered our way back down hill and into Old Town stopping for the occasional wine or pivo.
Dinner that evening was at Gitanes. They are about 100 feet down from the US Embassy. DW read about it in the guide book as a fun Mediteranian locale. It turned out to be even better than portrayed. The food was more Baltic focused, and the interior is at best described as ecclectic.
Our server started us off with deep fried bread rolls. I was hooked immediately. Deep frying and bread, you can't go wrong. If they could have somehow implemented cheese...
DFL started with a plate of fired anchovies. Extremely addictive. It was like eating potatoe chips. Next a Balkan salad, and then fettucini with mushrooms (voted the best smelling dish of the meal). DML and I split a plate four cheese gnocchi, and then she had Sac. It was lamd with onions and potatoes. DW ordered the Greek salad, roasted peppers and a bouilabaise. I started with the gnocchi and a greek salad followed up by "Hot Pljeskavica with Kajmak". It was this large patty of minced meat (our guess lamb and pork) with a fresh cheese spread. Not the most picturesque plate, but very flavorful and good. For dessert the restaurant brings in a free watermelon bowl full of fruit. I toyed with getting a Prague pancake, but the waitress steered me towards baklava. She was right. The meal was rated a 9.5 whcih seems low to me now. I think we gave them a lower rating for service.
Next Dresden - Probably have to wait until Monday. I'm not trying to draw up suspense. I just leave to go out of town in a few hours for the weekend.
Next we entered the castle gardens. The entrance is off Nerudova, and its at best discretely marked. The gardens are on numerous tiers. DW and I quickly took to multiple levels for photo-ops while others took their time. The price was fairly minimal to enter and its a much more scenic and serene way to enter Castle Hill.
We reached the main enterance to the palace gate at percisely noon. The crowds were thick, but we were still able to enjoy the changing of the guards. It takes about 10 or 15 minutes, and its worth it to see the procession and hear the music.
Our lunch stop was U Labuti on Castle Hill. It's maybe a 100 yds away from the Palace gate, but its night and day when it comes to the level of people. This helped to make for an enjoyable lunch. All of our eating was starting to catch up with me. I'm not used to this pace so I backed down to a bowl of onion soup and a greek salad with a couple pivos. Others kept right on trucking... DML went with the new favorite the Bohemian Plate and DFL ordered smoked trout, a greek salad and the Castle Plate. I think one form of the Beohemina plate has been ordered by me or DFL a half dozen times by now. We should've been rating and comparing them! Lunch was just lunch... We rated the place and acceptable 6.5.
My DW had been talking about Nove Svet since we arrived in Prague. Its the #2 sight in the Fodor's CityPack and it just so happened this street was real close to where we were. They talked it about being a neighborhood where artist types lived, and what a fun little area it was. Well I'm not sure what the editor of my guide saw on Nove Svet, but there was nothing really there. The only thing worthwhile was running across another family that looked just as confused as to why they were on this street. Eye of the beholder...
DML desire to see the monestary galleries fell to the waysude because they're closed on Mondays (darn watch thing again). So for the remainder of the afternoon we wandered our way back down hill and into Old Town stopping for the occasional wine or pivo.
Dinner that evening was at Gitanes. They are about 100 feet down from the US Embassy. DW read about it in the guide book as a fun Mediteranian locale. It turned out to be even better than portrayed. The food was more Baltic focused, and the interior is at best described as ecclectic.
Our server started us off with deep fried bread rolls. I was hooked immediately. Deep frying and bread, you can't go wrong. If they could have somehow implemented cheese...
DFL started with a plate of fired anchovies. Extremely addictive. It was like eating potatoe chips. Next a Balkan salad, and then fettucini with mushrooms (voted the best smelling dish of the meal). DML and I split a plate four cheese gnocchi, and then she had Sac. It was lamd with onions and potatoes. DW ordered the Greek salad, roasted peppers and a bouilabaise. I started with the gnocchi and a greek salad followed up by "Hot Pljeskavica with Kajmak". It was this large patty of minced meat (our guess lamb and pork) with a fresh cheese spread. Not the most picturesque plate, but very flavorful and good. For dessert the restaurant brings in a free watermelon bowl full of fruit. I toyed with getting a Prague pancake, but the waitress steered me towards baklava. She was right. The meal was rated a 9.5 whcih seems low to me now. I think we gave them a lower rating for service.
Next Dresden - Probably have to wait until Monday. I'm not trying to draw up suspense. I just leave to go out of town in a few hours for the weekend.
Oct 2nd, 2005, 11:53 AM
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Candert, thanks for a great report. It's as if I lived it--which I did, being the DML he refers to in the report. We stayed two days longer than him and his DW (DD to me) in Berlin and then moved on for 3 days in Krakow and just arrived home yesterday, so I'll leave it to him to continue to report on Dresden and Berlin and do my report only on the remainder of the trip. But I do have to add this one little bit about our time in Prague.
DH is always complaining about the time I take to locate restaurants that are "in the book" or recommended on fodors, etc. He thinks you can eat just as well by just stopping whenever you're hungry at whatever looks pretty good. While we were on Castle Hill in Prague we stopped for pivos, etc. at a restaurant while we scoped out what to do about lunch. DH suggested that the place we were stopped at looked pretty good and that we should just have lunch there. DD, however, had read the book and wanted to find a cute little place she'd seen recommended. She checked the address of the recommended place and got out the map to see how far away from us it was. Turns out we didn't have to go too far. You guessed it, it was the restaurant we were sitting in front of. Brought to mind the scene in the Robert Downey Jr movie, "Only You" where the girls hop in a cab to get to their hotel in Rome and the cab drives them one block across the Piazza Novona.
DH is always complaining about the time I take to locate restaurants that are "in the book" or recommended on fodors, etc. He thinks you can eat just as well by just stopping whenever you're hungry at whatever looks pretty good. While we were on Castle Hill in Prague we stopped for pivos, etc. at a restaurant while we scoped out what to do about lunch. DH suggested that the place we were stopped at looked pretty good and that we should just have lunch there. DD, however, had read the book and wanted to find a cute little place she'd seen recommended. She checked the address of the recommended place and got out the map to see how far away from us it was. Turns out we didn't have to go too far. You guessed it, it was the restaurant we were sitting in front of. Brought to mind the scene in the Robert Downey Jr movie, "Only You" where the girls hop in a cab to get to their hotel in Rome and the cab drives them one block across the Piazza Novona.
Oct 4th, 2005, 04:09 PM
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You made a big mistake by not dining at DAVID, the best restaurant in Prague. Didn't you read my famous trip report (in the Fodor's HALL OF FAME)?
We passed King Solomon. I didn't think it showed much promise, especially since it was empty during lunch time. I'm glad you enjoyed your meal there. Maybe we should have tried it.
We passed King Solomon. I didn't think it showed much promise, especially since it was empty during lunch time. I'm glad you enjoyed your meal there. Maybe we should have tried it.
